Apr 4, 2014

Earlier this year, Japanese mobile phone maker Sony Mobile made official a mini version of its Xperia Z1 flagship device, namely the Xperia Z1 Compact, and it seems that the company is already working on a successor for it.

A Sony smartphone that features the codename of Altair has been spotted at the FCC, with model number SO-04F attached to it, and rumor has it that it might arrive on shelves as Xperia Z2 Compact. The mobile phone is meant to make an appearance on the network of Japanese wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo, considering its model number. For those out of the loop, we should note that Xperia Z1 Compact was launched in Japan last year, under the name of Xperia Z1 f, and that it needed about four months to be launched in other markets out there. As XperiaBlog notes, the new device appears to feature the same front-camera placement as the Xperia Z1 Compact, which suggests that it will indeed be released as an upgraded version of this phone.

Moreover, the smartphone was spotted at Japanese parts retailer Moumantai, which claims that it has a genuine back cover for the Sony SO-04F. The available images show that the new device might feature a back camera similar to that on Xperia Z1 Compact. Basically, this suggests that Sony will go for the same 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS camera with G Lens as on the already available device. Apparently, Sony could still make a series of changes to the design of the new phone, as it is suggested to move away from the plastic case used on the Xperia Z1 Compact. Considering the fact that Sony already launched the Xperia Z2 smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and that the device was unveiled as the successor of Xperia Z1, it would not come as a surprise if it made a similar move with the Compact series as well.

Not to mention that the model number fits the current numbering scheme used by NTT DoCoMo, which released the Xperia Z1 as SO-01F, and Xperia Z1 f as SO-02F. The Xperia Z2 could arrive as SO-03F, with Xperia Z2 Compact expected to follow it as SO-04F. Moreover, chances are that Sony will pack the new phone with the same specs as the Xperia Z2, save for the screen size. This would include a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, the aforementioned camera on the back, and IP55/IP58 certification. However, with no official confirmation on this available as of now, we’ll take the info with a grain of salt for the time being. Hopefully, more on this will be unveiled soon, so stay tuned to learn the news.